Harness: Cleary looks to be winter warrior

Trainer Robert Cleary's stable has been rather hot recently and in talking to the conditioner you can get the sense that it's not by accident. Cleary runs a relatively small stable and looks to take advantage of situations when they become available. In the case of his two horses racing this Saturday night at the Meadowlands, Cleary is hoping that Tito Rocks and Toronto can make their money over the winter while the competition thins out.

Toronto, a 4-year-old son of Always B Miki from the multiple stakes-winning See You At Peelers, drew post eight in Saturday's eighth race, and Cleary is hoping to see improvement after a disappointing outing on November 26.

"Andy [McCarthy] was a little aggressive with him, and he didn't finish," said Cleary of the seventh-place finish in the non-winners of $14,000 last five class. On Saturday, despite the outside draw, Toronto will be in against weaker company, and that could pave the path for some improvement.

"His first two starts back we raced him from off-the-pace and he finished strongly," said Cleary of Toronto, who had missed nearly nine months of action following a foot injury at the end of 2021. "Then we had to scratch him because he tied up."

Toronto went unraced as a 2-year-old in 2020 as Cleary recognized the horse was immature and needed time to develop. Last year as a 3-year-old he blossomed late in the season and showed high-class potential. "He beat older horses in 1:49 1/5 at Harrah's Philadelphia and then won the Simpson," Cleary said of the sophomore campaign. Toronto also beat older rivals last December at the Meadowlands in an impressive 1:50 2/5 clocking.

"He's better chasing horses," said Cleary of Toronto, "but he showed last year that he can cut the mile as well."

On Saturday Toronto makes his fourth start on the comeback trail, with Andy McCarthy back in the bike against a field that includes a pair of 40-time starters in 2022 in Rockin The Aces (post four) and Catch Me Conrad (post six). The latter finished third in this class in November.

The 5-year-old Tito Rocks has won two of his last four races, both at Harrah's Philadelphia, but Cleary is excited to have him back on the big track.

"I think there's enough speed in this race for him to close off of," said Cleary of the son of Sweet Lou with $322K banked over the last four years, all for Cleary.

"He's won over all sized tracks," said Cleary in describing Tito Rocks' 70 starts, but just on one occasion at the Meadowlands.

On Saturday Tito Rocks races in a non-winners of $20,000 last five class carded as race 10 with a host of shippers joining the ranks at the East Rutherford, New Jersey, mile oval. My Pal Joe has been racing against Bulldog Hanover and Allywag Hanover and gets the needed class relief, landing post eight in this field. The 5-year-old Roll With Joe-sired gelding was a 1:48 3/5 winner at the Meadowlands in 2021.

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Cleary is also racing a recent Scottish import by the name of A Rocknroll Star at Yonkers and hopes to make the best of winter racing with the son of A Rocknroll Dance.

"He's raced in stakes races for the last three years," said Cleary. "He was originally purchased in Lexington and then sent to Scotland. I tried to buy him off the owner to race here last year, but he wouldn't sell. Then I got a call and the owner wanted to send him to me to race."

A Rocknroll Star made his U.S. debut a winning one at Yonkers on November 29 in a non-winners of two event. "That's why we brought him here," said Cleary, who has the horse entered in race five at Harrah's Philadelphia on Friday. "He's racing in stakes over there, but he's eligible to non-winners of two over here. Hopefully he'll be able to make us some money over the winter."

Cleary has seven soon-to-be 2-year-olds in training but is most excited about the coming 3-year-old pacing filly Beltara.

"She won the Homegrown in her last start," said Cleary of the Stay Hungry-sired filly that has a very similar pedigree to millionaire Fire Start Hanover. Beltara held off the Grand Circuit winner Earthwindfire with a 26 2/5 final quarter sprint in the Homegrown at the Meadowlands on November 11.

"She paced a 25 second last quarter in the race before that," said Cleary.

A Pennsylvania-sired filly, Beltara will likely point towards the Sire Stakes program in 2023, with Cleary hoping to add a few Grand Circuit races along the line.